Tavari Union Joins International Embargo of Mirhaime and Allies, Including Sayyed
ANARÍS, Metrati Anar (TavariFax)– The Council of the Tavari Union voted 5-2 on Thursday to cease all trade with countries including Mirhaime and Sayyed effective the first of the year, joining an effort led by the Red Crown Economic Union (RCEU) to isolate the countries for their actions in regard to the recent war in western Gondwana. Parties to the agreement, known as the Anti-Imperialist Containment Agreement, include some of Tavaris’ staunchest allies, such as Tretrid, Norgsveldet, and Vistaraland, but also one of its biggest rivals, the Crowned Socialist Federation of the Southern Coast of Lapérouse—the primary driving force behind the agreement—with whom Tavari relations have long been chilly. Other signatories include Atlalandr, Axdel, and Kaldrbuth, the whole of the RCEU (including Auravas, Dvergerland, Kuduk, Nystatiszna, Ymirland, and Zemeprievadai) and the Norgsveltian Crown Realm (including Dvalheim, Eyjaria, Maanbriak, Tangrland, and Vakrestrender.) Additionally, involvement by the North Concordian Economic Forum as a whole is seen as likely in the near future.
The agreement was crafted primarily in opposition to Mirhaime’s involvement in the recent West Gondwanan war and its power projection in the region more broadly, as well as events in its aftermath of the war which saw defender Sayyed seek to claim territory within the internationally recognized borders of aggressor Crimpateia in a referendum set up by the war’s victorious parties. Crimpateia is currently in a civil war, and doubts over the possible legitimacy of such a referendum, as well as several other concerns, formed a major part of why the International Forum Security Council refused to grant approval for the referendum.
Once the embargo takes effect on 1 January 2024, every member of the Tavari Union will be prohibited from engaging in trade with Mirhaime, Sayyed, and Thalor—and any other countries decided upon by the signatories to the agreement. This includes a ban on doing business with any corporation owned by nationals of these countries. The agreement is renewable yearly. According to a recent article in the Red Dove, the agreement states that “Mirahime and its circle of allies are a threat to the stability of the international community and [the signatories] therefore see it fit to issue a complete stoppage of economic activity between our governments and Mirahime as well its allies.”
The move by the Tavari Union is widely understood to be an overture to the RCEU in hopes of easing tensions, and comes after a sustained political pressure campaign by the RCEU to bring the Tavari to the table—but is sure to significantly complicate recent efforts to build cultural and diplomatic exchange between Tavaris and Sayyed in light of recent revelations that the Xuhari people of western Gondwana share an origin with the Tavari. While no one at the public portions of the deliberations said so openly, political observers agree it is very likely that in exchange for Tavari support on the measure, the RCEU will seek to place diplomatic and political pressure on close ally Bana to keep tensions with Tavaris low. Bana, which has seen significant political instability in recent months and years after multiple assassinations, and the declaration of martial law and the arrest of four of the country’s five Supreme Court justices in June, remains the primary Tavari geopolitical foe after its alleged involvement in supporting and encouraging sectarian violence and terrorism leading up to and during the 2021-2022 Division Crisis.
Dr. Mandra Tõštai Vadracal, a scholar of international relations at the Royal College of Nuvo, believes that the Union’s reasoning has far more to do with Bana and the RCEU than it does with Mirhaime or Sayyed. “Bana is not a member of the RCEU, but it is closely aligned with it, especially recently, and especially after the Tavaris-South Hills nuclear agreement saw the Concordians abandon their defense agreement with Bana. From the allegations of sponsoring Akronist terrorism to the Tavari meddling in Bana’s alliances, plus the already red hot grievance of the Tavari nuclear program, means Bana has a lot of reasons to be angry with Tavaris and not too many reasons to be happy with us. Historically, an angry Bana has meant war, and Tavaris can’t afford war. The calculus is simple and it doesn’t really have anything to do with West Gondwana: war with Bana costs more than sanctioning Mirhaime. Bana actively opposing and interfering with Tavari interests costs more than sanctioning Mirhaime. Tavaris is selling out what was a burgeoning new relationship with Sayyed in order to gain the RCEU as a mediating force with Bana.”
The agreement takes significant care to couch its arguments in opposition to imperialism, which has raised some eyebrows among political observers in Tavaris, given that it did not fully decolonize the last remnants of what was known for centuries as the Tavari Empire until 2022. Many in the Federation and across the RCEU have leveled accusations of neo-imperialism and colonialism against Tavaris, historically and recently. And while “anti-imperialism” has never before featured in her lexicon, Mrs. Nevran Alandar appears to be taking the adjustment in stride. “I am more than comfortable declaring that Tavaris believes the time for imperialism is dead and over. This Union is a testament to that. This is not a sphere of influence, it is an international organization of sovereign states that was built on the foundation of self-determination and the rule of law. And by signing onto this agreement, self-determination and the rule of law are exactly what we are supporting.”
The government of Elatana was particularly involved as the primary intermediary between the Union and the RCEU—of late, an envoy of the Kingdom of Elatana has begun attending RCEU meetings as as informal observer, and the Elatanan cabinet has been in talks with Côtois tech companies in seeking to overhaul government IT infrastructure. Elatanan Prime Minister Tevri Kantõši Nolandar spoke firmly in support of the measure on the Council, saying “We owe it to future generations to take the stand and say: we are different from those who came before us. We have learned the lessons of the past. You don’t just swoop into countries and carve up their lands for your own ends. It is right to oppose that where we see it. That we have been guilty of this same crime in the past is all the more reason for us to oppose it now. In fact, I argue we are obligated to.”
Two members of the Council of the Tavari Union voted against the measure, the Avtovati Isles and Rodoka, while Acronis abstained. The Avtovati Isles, while the least populous of the jurisdictions in the Union, is the closest to Sayyed, and trade with Sayyed represents a notable fraction of the Avtovati economy. “We are islands, and all the goods we buy are more expensive simply because it costs money to ship across the sea. Closing Sayqidi ports to us will raise prices even higher,” said Avtovati delegate Elman Lavri Tettinar. “The benefits we gain from this agreement are political—we become closer to the RCEU, reinforce relationships with allies, and I guess we get the satisfaction of the moral high ground. But these costs are real life consequences for real Islander families.”
Trade with Sayyed is also a concern for the Rodokans, who govern nearby Vaalsaar. However, Rodokan Presiding Chief Ivi Puna Laar said on the Council that her opposition to the agreement was broader. “This is an absolutely devastating level of sanctions. Total shutdown of all trade is a tremendously drastic step—I mean, think of all the trade Tavaris has with Bana, and has had during decades and centuries of bitter hatred and war. We are going to see economic harm from this step, and for what reason are we paying this cost? What great harm have the likes of Sayyed or Thalor committed against us to earn this truly severe level of treatment?”
The Acronian delegation was not present at the final vote, though both Matron Vana Dandreal and Chief Administrator Σavora Lašandri participated in non-public committee discussions about the proposal, which have been taking place since the announcement of the agreement on the 20th. Acronis issued no statement on why it abstained, and no Acronian government office agreed to comment for this article. An anonymous source close to the Council, who TavariFax is not naming because they were not authorized by the Council to speak on the record, said that Dandreal and Lašandri disagreed on the measure, which rendered the Acronians “simply unable to proceed, because when the Matron raises moral objections to something, it becomes nearly impossible for any devout Akronist to oppose her.” According to the source, the Matron was “deeply affronted” by the notion of closing trade with Sayyed, which she described as “having just faced an invasion,” saying it was “Akronist tradition and belief to ‘lift up the downtrodden,’ and she simply seemed unconvinced by arguments made in particular by Elatana that Sayyed’s behavior after the invasion was a violation of norms. In fact, she seemed very convinced by Sayqidi claims of genocide in the regions of Crimpateia they sought to annex in the referendum, arguments which Lašandri called ‘grevously concerning but not yet concrete enough to be used as a basis for decision-making.’”
The Council of the Tavari Union responded to requests for comment with a written statement issued by Metratani President Shtonar Talakar, whose country currently holds the rotating Union Presidency: “If you seek to know how the Council ‘feels’ about the measure passed, or why the Council came to the decision it did, then read the text of the agreement itself, which is what we have signed our names to in endorsement. Additionally, the Council of the Tavari Union does not comment on allegations and reports of private, deliberative conversations between Council members and believes it is irresponsible to publish them. Members of the Council are free to come to their sovereign decisions in whatever way they feel appropriate.”
With only days before the agreement is to take effect, preparations will need to be made quickly across the entire Union. The Council tasked the Reserve Bank of the Tavari Union with identifying relevant business entities in the Union that are now sanctioned and ensuring stock exchanges delist companies domiciled in or owned by nationals of the affected countries. Already, the Tavari700 index is falling—down 5% midway through trading on Thursday—with concerns not just about trade with Sayyed and Mirhaime but also with Norgsveldet, Tretrid, and Vistaraland, major Tavari trading partners whose economies will also take a hit. Tavari Prime Minister Žarís Nevran Alandar said she is “confident that our strong Union economy will be able to handle what comes our way, especially because we signatories as partners have agreed to increase our investment in each other’s economies in order to replace whatever we might be losing from the sanctioned markets.”
When asked if she felt she was trading economic stability and family livelihoods for political gain, Mrs. Nevran Alandar was emphatic: “No, absolutely not. This isn’t about ‘political gain.’ Reinforcing international norms of peace is not just politics. When countries stand together against violations of international norms, that’s the most concrete step we can take to build real peace. That means that all the families in the Union are safer, and that means everything. We are building peace with our partners, and it’s especially important that we are standing together not just with countries who are already our friends but also with countries with whom we do not always agree. Those countries named in this agreement should take note of that significance.”
The Tavari Prime Minister declined to answer questions about how the agreement relates to relations with Bana, saying (notably similarly to Shtonar Talakar) “our reasons for supporting this agreement are the ones written in the agreement.” However, she did not deny that the agreement “is a major first step, and a promising step, toward future collaboration with the entire Red Crown Economic Union.” She also resisted claims that the agreement represented an “abandonment” of the young relationship with Sayyed, noting that neither sapientarian aid nor non-economic cultural exchange were banned by the agreement. “Our newly planned programs of cultural exchange, sapientological and historical research collaboration, and aid to Sayyed can continue.” Ultimately, she emphasized that “this isn’t really about relationships, it’s about standing up for international norms. A world where there is less naked, scheming ambition for international dominance is a better world for all of us. We can’t make that happen without taking action. It’s time for action.”